Guest column: Failure to use names for schools is bad policy

By not naming public schools after major contributors to Jacksonville’s economic, historical and social progress, the Duval County School Board compromised the need to celebrate the city’s past.

By not commemorating local heroes, men and women who invested their energies in the progress of the city and sometimes gave their lives for our freedoms, they unintentionally undermine the vital stories of our city that need to be told.

When historians look back at Florida, they will likely determine that no city through at least the early 21st Century had a richer, more ethnically diverse history.

Yes, St. Augustine and Pensacola had significant early European settlement histories, yet these towns lacked Jacksonville’s social, political and economic impact on the state. To the south, Miami, Orlando and Tampa-St. Petersburg had relatively short histories as the storms of climate change threatened their futures.

MAJOR CITIES DO IT

Modern commercial giants such as London, Paris, New York and Chicago celebrate their extensive histories. We should and can do the same.

From the mid-19th century through mid-20th century, Jacksonville had no serious economic rival in Florida and few in the Southeast.

When we ignore and fail to celebrate those who contributed much to our local history we undercut the important value of the city’s story. We curtail a marketing resource as we attempt to differentiate Jacksonville in a global marketplace.

In past decades our elected representatives frequently named streets, buildings, parks and, in particular, public K-12 schools after individuals who lived lives that were praiseworthy examples. Especially when it comes to public [and private] schools, where young people take their first steps away from home, these names play more than a small role in their emerging identity.

In taking the supposed high road and deciding not to name schools in honor of local and statewide contributors to Florida history, the Duval County School Board does a disservice to students and the community.

TAKE THE HIGH ROAD

In the late 1950s, as “Impeach Earl Warren” billboards opposing the lawful desegregation of schools grew like mushrooms across the northern half of Florida, bad School Board policy led to naming schools as a statement against integration. Thankfully, that era is finished

But today’s public school leaders should not just be aware of core curricula. They should also be aware of how our young people develop a sense of place in Jacksonville.

In giving them such an identity, we promote pride and good citizenship while making it more likely that after completing college they will return to live here. Yes, there is a need for a transparent and democratic school naming policy.

But as we name our schools, we also need to celebrate our diverse and complex history by commemorating the lives of Floridians and Jacksonville citizens as examples of what we have been, who we are and a bridge to what we may yet become.

Erick Dittus lives on the Southside and is a long-time Jacksonville observer.

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3969 points

Ron_Jax80

Sunday, January 19, 2014 @ 11:37 pm

Perhaps Forrest should have been vetted before Superintendent Vitti's renaming process. Then the results should have been made public. If that one step was done, the renaming process probably would have never occurred.

I am still waiting to read the real reasons for renaming Forrest. So far there is not enough to convince me.

Perhaps someone who was for renaming Forrest, can list their reasons and include their sources. It would have been more considerate if the Superintendent and the School Board would do the same, individually.